Abbie Reynolds To Head Predator Free 2050 Limited

Predator Free 2050 Limited has appointed Abbie Reynolds as its new CEO

Abbie Reynolds is the former Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council and in that role helped establish the Climate Leaders Coalition, motivating more than 100 member organisations to climate action.

She received the Board and Management Award at the 2019 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.

She has also held senior roles in telecommunications as Head of Corporate Responsibility at Telecom and Head of Sustainability and Foundation at Vodafone New Zealand.

Predator Free 2050 Limited Chair Jane Taylor says she is delighted by the appointment. “Abbie will bring a dynamic, inclusive leadership style and a deep commitment to the sustainability principles which underpin the predator free movement.”

The government-owned charitable company was set up in 2016 to make a significant contribution to the government’s goal of removing possums, stoats and rats from Aotearoa.

Predator Free 2050 Limited is currently providing co-funding for 10 large landscape predator eradication projects and invests in breakthrough research and technology developments, with backing from the government’s Conservation budget and the Provincial Growth Fund.

The company received significant new funding in Budget 2020 through the Jobs for Nature programme, enabling it to facilitate and manage new and expanded funding agreements with councils, community trusts and Iwi entities. With philanthropic, business and landowner support these projects will deliver more than $300m in operational work.

Abbie Reynolds says she is excited to take on the new role. “The loss of indigenous flora and fauna strikes at the heart of who we are as New Zealanders and addressing it will require all of our diverse strengths, collective effort and ingenuity.”

She begins the new position on 21 September 2020.

She takes over from Ed Chignell who resigned as CEO last month to return to Treescape Ltd, the company he co-founded and was Chief Executive of for 37 years to see it through challenges created by the COVID-19 situation.

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